Washington State Massage Therapy Association Annual Meeting

Greetings Washington State LMT's!

Please join the WSMTA Directors, Government Relation Program and Clinical Practices Program for the 2024 Annual Meeting.

Date: September 29, 2024 9:30AM-3:30PM

WSMTA Membership is required to attend, free to WSMTA members.

REGISTER HERE

If you are not a member and wish to attend join here. 

Annual memberships are $65

This Year's Theme: How to Improve Your Practice and Quality of Life Without Losing Your Practice Or Your Mind

Annual Business Meeting: We will have Reports from the Government Relations and Clinical Practices Programs on all that they have accomplished in the past year and what they will be working on in the future!

Presentations (4.5 CE Hours*):

Information on the Interstate Massage Compact and updates on HB1655 - Provider Compensation (the cost-of-living bill): Marybeth Berney and Robbin Blake

• Interstate Massage Compact: What are compacts, what is the Interstate Massage Compact and what are the pros and cons of it?
• HB1655 Provider Compensation: What is it, what is happening to it this session, what can we do to help the coalition of professions supporting it?

Understanding the legal nuances of being a massage therapist: John Conniff

• The “Corporate Practice of Medicine” and what all LMTs need to know about it
• Why LMTs should set up as PLLCs and not LLCs
• FinCEN reporting

Knowing when to pivot in your massage practice: Cherie Sohnen Moe

• Deciding to make a change in your massage practice can be difficult as is knowing when to do it. This presentation will discuss knowing how to recognize when it’s time to make a change and how to go about doing it. Change comes in many forms, from knowing when to change your business model (e.g. cash vs insurance or membership; employee vs self employed or employer, etc) or when it’s time to increase or decrease your number of clients/hours, or change your primary way of doing massage.

Learn to optimize your web presence to increase business: Tory Felkey

• The Importance of online presence for local businesses
• Why Google is the only place online that makes room for and empowers local businesses and service providers
• Statistics on local search behavior
• How Google Business Profile impacts local SEO
• What is a Google Business Profile
• Explanation of Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).
• Available for massage therapists, clinic owners or those in private practice
• How to claim and complete your Google Business Profile:https://www.google.com/business
• What types of content can you post
• How frequently you should post
• What you should never do (how not to get banned)
• How to locate the results of your efforts at Google Business Profile (read and interpret your data)

About Our Presenters:

Marybeth Berney, LMT has been a full-time licensed massage therapist in Washington since 1985. As soon as she was eligible (licensed for 3yrs.), she began working as an examiner for the Washington State Department of Health, Board of Massage.

From 1993 - 2001 Marybeth was a Washington State Board of Massage member. During those years she participated in rule writing, creating minimum curriculum requirements and creating an approval process for WA board approved massage programs. In 2007, Marybeth was appointed to the American Massage Therapy Association Washington Chapter (AMTA-WA) Board of Directors as Secretary. She spent almost 10 years as a volunteer for AMTA-WA serving as Secretary, Government Relations Director, 1st Vice President and President.

In 2015, Marybeth joined a bunch of other passionate WA massage therapists and became a part of what is now the Washington State Massage Therapy Association (WSMTA). She is the current President. Along with regulatory and association work during her career, Marybeth also provided Expert Consultant/Witness services. She contracted with the Washington State Department of Health-Legal Services Unit on many occasions, providing expertise in Standards of Practice in the massage profession. She has also contracted with several legal firms acting as an Expert Witness in civil cases involving massage practitioners.

Robbin Blake, LMT, Certified Aston-Patterner® is a graduate from the Brian Utting School of Massage 1000-hour professional licensing program in 2004. She completed an advanced certification program in Orthopedic Massage and a 750-hour training program to become a certified Aston-Patterner (structural bodywork with movement and ergonomics coaching). In total, Robbin has taken over 1,500 hours of continuing education.

Robbin has been the owner and operator of the Therapeutic Training Center, Inc. (TTCI) for the past 15 years. TTCI provides continuing education classes in massage therapy in Washington and Idaho. Robbin has also been a volunteer for the Washington State Massage Therapy Association for the past 9 years and its Government Relations Program Director since January 2019.

John Conniff, Attorney combines his broad background and practical knowledge to help his clients find workable solutions to difficult problems. For over 25 years, he has counseled individuals, businesses, professionals, legislators, and government officials.

His wide range of experience provides him with insight into the complicated connections between business and law. He has worked extensively on insurance regulation, health information privacy and security standards, health care regulatory compliance, managed health care, ERISA, and business transactions.

He represents diverse organizations, businesses and professionals including trade associations, employer health plans, insurers, and health care practitioners. In addition to currently having his own practice and having been in a partnership practice, John has been the:

Washington State Deputy Insurance Commissioner, Olympia, Washington (1993 – 2000) responsible for law and policy governing health insurance and health care reform.

Legislative Counsel, Olympia, Washington (1986 – 1993) with the Washington State House of Representatives, Office of Program Research. Responsible for laws governing insurance, managed health care, financial institutions, and related subjects including ERISA, antitrust, health care regulation, and tort liability.

Tory Felkey is a Digital Marketing Strategist with a decade-long focus on small and local businesses.

Built/launched more than 50 thriving local websites

Retained by over 20 brands to facilitate and execute sustainable growth and grow brand awareness

Preferred provider for Kitsap County 2020-2023 to educate entrepreneurs on how to build a brand using primarily free tools

Cherie Sohnen Moe is an author, business coach, and international workshop leader. She has been a successful business owner since 1978. Before shifting her focus to education and coaching, she was in private practice for many years as a massage and holistic health practitioner. She has served as a faculty member at the Desert Institute of Healing Arts (DIHA), the Clayton College of Natural Health (CCNH), and the Arizona School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ASAOM).

Cherie has written more than 200 articles that have been published in over 15 national and international magazines. She is the author of the book, Business Mastery. It is in its fifth edition, has sold more than 430,000 copies to date, and is recommended by more than 1,000 healing arts associations and schools worldwide (with 350 schools requiring it as a text). Cherie is also the author of Present Yourself Powerfully and the co-author of the ground-breaking book, The Ethics of Touch, which is used in more than 700 schools and associations with 200 requiring it as a text. Cherie and Lynda Solien-Wolfe recently co-authored the book, Retail Mastery. Cherie is a contributing author of Teaching Massage: Fundamental Principles in Adult Education for Massage Program Instructors.

Cherie holds a degree in psychology from UCLA and has extensive experience in the areas of business management, training, and creative problem solving—which combines well with her ability to support others to achieve what they want in life. Between her educational background and life experiences, the wisdom garnered from working with hundreds of clients and thousands of participants in her workshops and classes she has taught in schools, and the knowledge gained from researching hundreds of articles and several books, she is a strong resource.

She is active in many professional and community organizations and is Past-President of The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education (AFMTE). Among her honors she has received the Distinguished Service Award and the Professional Achievement Award from the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), the Outstanding Instructor Award at the Desert Institute of Healing Arts, and is listed in several editions of Who’s Who. Cherie is a 2012 Inductee to the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame. She lives in Tucson, Arizona with her husband, Jim.

*These CE hours count for Washington State remaining hours per statute.